JP2019077508A - Automatic warehouse system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an automatic warehouse system capable of storing more cargoes in an internal space of a building.SOLUTION: An automatic warehouse system 10 includes a storage stage which has a plurality of storage rows 24 capable of storing cargoes 12 and extended in a frontage direction, and on which the storage rows 24 are arranged in a depth direction. A conveyance carriage 14 is capable of conveying the cargoes 12 in the frontage direction at each of the plurality of storage rows 24. The plurality of storage rows 24 comprise large storage rows and small storage rows which are smaller in size in the frontage direction than the large storage rows.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic warehouse system capable of loading and unloading loads.

  As a warehouse system capable of efficiently receiving and delivering a large number of loads in a small space, there is known an automatic warehouse system which uses a truck to transport loads to a three-dimensionally configured automatic warehouse. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an automatic warehouse system that transfers packages stored in a storage area. In the automatic warehouse system of Patent Document 1, in order to use space effectively, a diagonal ceiling RF and a storage shelf fitted to the shape of a building within a range not interfering with the cross pillar BM are provided. Also, vertically and horizontally movable carriages are provided between the pair of storage racks in order to facilitate the removal of the load.

JP, 2014-062001, A

The inventor has obtained the following recognition of the automatic warehouse system.
It is desirable that an automated warehouse system can accommodate as much load as possible in a limited space. In existing buildings, it is considered that there are many existing buildings having an overhanging portion in which a slanted ceiling, a sloping wall or a projecting pillar or the like protrudes toward the internal space. If a building with such overhangs in the interior space is provided with a rectangular storage shelf whose outline of each surface is rectangular, the storage shelf may be designed to be small so as to avoid the overhangs. . In this case, it is conceivable that a large dead space may occur around the storage rack to limit the amount of load that can be accommodated.
From the above, the inventors have recognized that the automatic warehouse system has a problem to be improved in terms of allowing a lot of loads to be accommodated in the interior space of a building.

  The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an automatic warehouse system capable of accommodating a large amount of load in the interior space of a building.

  In order to solve the above problems, an automatic warehouse system according to an aspect of the present invention is an automatic warehouse system capable of storing loads, which is a storage row for storing loads, the storage extending in the frontage direction A storage stage having a plurality of rows, and a plurality of storage rows arranged in a depth direction intersecting the frontage direction, and a first carriage capable of transporting a load in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage rows. The plurality of containing rows includes a large containing row and a small containing row having a smaller dimension in the frontage direction than the large containing row.

  According to this aspect, the plurality of containing rows can include small containing rows and large containing rows that have different sizes in the frontage direction.

  Another aspect of the present invention is also an automatic warehouse system. This automatic warehouse system is an automatic warehouse system including a storage unit capable of storing a load, the storage row for storing the load, having a plurality of storage rows extending in the frontage direction, and a plurality of storages A storage block arranged in a height direction in which a row intersects the frontage direction, and a first carriage capable of transporting a load in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage rows. The plurality of containing rows includes a large containing row and a small containing row having a smaller dimension in the frontage direction than the large containing row.

  It is to be noted that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, or one in which the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention are mutually replaced among methods, apparatuses, systems, etc. is also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the automatic warehouse system which can accommodate many loads in the interior space of a building can be provided.

It is a top view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a front view of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is a top view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a comparative example. It is a top view which shows an example of the conveyance trolley of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is a side view of the conveyance trolley of FIG. It is a front view which shows the traveling state of the conveyance trolley of FIG. It is a top view which shows an example of the intermediate | middle trolley | bogie of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is a side view of the intermediate | middle trolley | bogie of FIG. It is a block diagram of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the delivery operation | movement of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the delivery operation | movement of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the warehousing operation of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the warehousing operation | movement of the automatic warehouse system of FIG. It is a top view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a 2nd embodiment. It is a top view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a 3rd embodiment. It is a front view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a 4th embodiment. It is a front view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a 5th embodiment. It is a top view of the automatic warehouse system concerning a 6th embodiment. Fig. 18 (a) is a plan view showing a first storage stage, and Fig. 18 (b) is a plan view showing a third storage stage. It is a front view which shows the periphery of the work space of the automatic warehouse system of FIG.

  In recent years, the present inventors have considered the automatic warehouse system from the viewpoint of improving the storage efficiency, and obtained the following findings.

  In a building provided with an automatic warehouse system, there are many cases where it does not necessarily have a rectangular shape for various reasons. For example, the roof may have slopes to escape rain, etc., and slopes based on the restrictions of the Building Standard Law, and the wall surface has a projected corner in view of the shape of the land and the relationship with adjacent buildings. In some cases, vertical pillars and beams (horizontal pillars) may overhang the interior space of the building in order to secure strength. Thus, it is desirable to increase the storage efficiency and to be able to accommodate more loads in a building where the overhanging portion extends toward the internal space as described above.

  In the case where a rectangular storage rack is provided in a building having such an overhang portion, it is conceivable that a large dead space is generated around the storage rack to reduce the storage efficiency. In order to reduce this dead space, it is also conceivable to provide a storage shelf fitted to the shape of the building within a range that does not interfere with the oblique ceiling or the overhang of the horizontal post. For example, it is conceivable to provide a step corresponding to the shape of the overhang on the side portion in the depth direction (second direction) of the storage rack.

  In such a storage rack, it is conceivable to load and unload the respective storage sections by providing a loading / unloading mechanism capable of loading and unloading the load by facing the large number of storage sections of the storage rack. In this case, the loading / unloading mechanism can move in the depth direction to load / unload each container by configuring the space extending in the depth direction of the storage rack to be movable. In this configuration, the storage efficiency can be enhanced by arranging the storage shelves facing each other on both sides of the movement space of the loading and unloading mechanism.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a comparative example 600 of an automatic warehouse provided with such a storage shelf 620. As shown in FIG. The comparative example 600 includes a building 632, a plurality of storage racks 620, and a forklift 650. Each storage rack 620 includes a plurality of receptacles 626 connected in the depth direction. The respective storage shelves 620 are arranged in the frontage direction (first direction), and some are arranged continuously and some are arranged apart. Passageways 652 are provided in the space towards the front of each storage shelf 620 located at a distance. The forklift 650 is configured to be able to carry the load 12 into and out of each storage portion 626 while moving the passage 652 in the depth direction. The building 632 stores each storage rack 620 and each passage 652. In Comparative Example 600, the passage 652 is provided for every two storage shelves 620, so the space of the storage shelves 620 is reduced by the passage 652. In addition, since the degree of freedom of the side shape in the direction of the opening of the storage rack 620 is low, if there is an overhang of the building 632 in the direction of the opening, a large dead space may occur there. As a result, there is a limit to the storage efficiency of the automatic warehouse according to Comparative Example 600.

  From these, the present inventors do not provide an entrance and exit in each of a plurality of accommodation parts, and instead of loading and unloading, the entrance and exit are made in units of a set (hereinafter referred to as accommodation rows) in which a plurality of accommodation parts are connected in the frontage direction. We devised a configuration to install and unload. That is, the present inventors arrange a plurality of storage rows including a plurality of storage portions arranged in the frontage direction in the depth direction, and transport the load by traversing the respective storage portions of the storage rows in the frontage direction. We devised a configuration with a truck. Specifically, it is conceivable to transport the load including the article and the pallet on which the article is placed in the frontage direction by the transport mechanism. For example, the transport carriage may be moved below the target load, and the placement portion of the transport carriage may be lifted to lift the load from the storage portion and to transport the load in that state. In this configuration, since the load can be transported in the frontage direction by the transport carriage, the space of the transport mechanism for moving the load in the depth direction can be minimized. Further, in this configuration, the dimensions in the opening direction of the accommodation rows can be individually adjusted by changing the number of accommodating portions to be connected, so that the plurality of accommodation rows have short accommodation rows having different dimensions in the opening direction. It is possible to include a long containment line. As a result, this automatic warehouse can reduce the dead space on the side in the frontage direction to increase the storage efficiency.

  The automatic warehouse system according to the embodiment is devised based on these findings and thinking, and the specific configuration thereof will be described below.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on several preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. In each embodiment, a comparative example, and a modification, the same or equivalent constituent elements and members are given the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted as appropriate. In addition, dimensions of members in each drawing are shown appropriately enlarged or reduced for easy understanding. In each drawing, a part of members which are not important in describing the embodiment is omitted and displayed.
Also, although terms including first and second ordinal numbers are used to describe various components, this term is used only to distinguish one component from another component, and this term The constituent elements are not limited by

First Embodiment
The configuration of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. The automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment is a system including an automatic warehouse capable of receiving and outputting a large number of loads 12. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment. In particular, this figure shows the arrangement in plan view of the lowermost storage stage 22 of the storage shelf 20 described later. FIG. 2 is a front view of the automatic warehouse system 10. In particular, this figure shows the arrangement of a front view of the accommodation block 28 on the near side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the storage shelf 20 described later.

  The following description is based on the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The X-axis direction corresponds to horizontal horizontal direction, the Y-axis direction corresponds to horizontal horizontal direction, and the Z-axis direction corresponds to vertical height direction. The Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction are orthogonal to the X-axis direction. In particular, the frontage direction, depth direction, and height direction described later correspond to the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction, respectively. The depth direction and the frontage direction are directions parallel to the horizontal plane. The height direction is the direction parallel to the elevation. The words of the depth direction and the frontage direction are used for the purpose of distinguishing the two orthogonal directions, and are not limited to the direction along the frontage and the depth of a building or the like. In the first embodiment, an example is shown in which the load 12 includes an article and a pallet on which the article is placed. It is not essential to include a pallet. The Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction may not necessarily be exactly orthogonal to the X-axis direction, and may intersect the X-axis direction at an angle close to 90 degrees (for example, 89.5 degrees).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automatic warehouse system 10 includes a building 32, a storage rack 20, a frontage direction transport mechanism 4, a depth direction transport mechanism 6, a storage and retrieval unit 18, and a control unit 30. Mainly. The building 32 is a building that includes an internal space 32 b mainly for storing the storage shelf 20. The interior space 32b is mainly defined by a ceiling and a wall. The building 32 has an overhang 34 that overhangs the internal space 32 b. The overhanging portion 34 includes an inclined wall portion 34b (see FIG. 1), a column portion 34c (see FIG. 2), and a ceiling inclined portion 34d (see FIG. 2). The pillar portion 34c is a prismatic material vertically provided to support the weight of the upper portion of the building 32, such as a roof or a ceiling.

(Storage shelf)
The storage rack portion 20 is a storage space for accommodating and storing a large number of loads 12 in the internal space 32 b of the building 32. The storage shelf 20 is provided to avoid the overhang 34. The storage rack 20 may include one or more storage stages 22. In the automated warehouse system 10, the storage rack 20 includes four storage stages 22 stacked in the height direction. Each accommodation stage 22 includes a plurality of accommodation rows 24 arranged in the depth direction along the plane. In the present invention, among the plurality of storage rows 24 constituting the storage rack portion 20, a stage configured of the plurality of storage rows 24 at the same position in the Z-axis direction is referred to as one storage stage 22. In other words, the accommodation stage 22 is configured by arranging a plurality of accommodation rows 24 in the Y-axis direction.

  The planar arrangement of the receiving row 24 will be described with reference to FIG. In the example of FIG. 1, the accommodation stage 22 includes accommodation rows 24 arranged in the depth direction by eight columns on both sides in the direction of the opening of the depth direction transport mechanism 6. In FIG. 1, the eight storage rows 24 arranged on the right side of the depth direction transport mechanism 6 are sequentially stored from the front side (lower side in FIG. 1) from the storage rows 24a, 24b, 24c, 24d, 24e, 24f, 24g, It is written as 24h. In FIG. 1, the eight housing rows 24 arranged on the left side of the depth direction transport mechanism 6 are described as housing rows 24j, 24k, 24m, 24n, 24p, 24q, 24r, 24s in this order from the near side.

  Each of the plurality of storage rows 24 may include one or a plurality of storage portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. In the example of FIG. 1, the receiving rows 24a, 24b and 24d include six receiving portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The accommodation rows 24c and 24e include five accommodation portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing row 24f includes four housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing row 24g includes three housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The accommodation row 24 h includes two accommodation portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 24j, 24k, 24m, 24n, 24p, 24q, 24r and 24s include six housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. Each storage unit 26 is configured to be able to store the load 12. Each accommodation part 26 in each accommodation row 24 is connected in the frontage direction, and constitutes an accommodation row 24 extending in the frontage direction. The load 12 of the storage unit 26 can be conveyed in the opening direction by the opening direction conveying mechanism 4 described later in the storage row 24.

  The dimensions in the frontal direction of the respective receptacles 26 may be different or may be the same. In the example of FIG. 1, the dimensions in the front opening direction of the respective accommodating portions 26 are set to be the same. Therefore, the dimension in the frontward direction of each accommodation row 24 is substantially proportional to the number of accommodation portions 26 constituting the accommodation row 24. The dimension in the opening direction of the housing rows 24c and 24e including the five housing portions 26 is smaller than the dimension in the opening direction of the housing rows 24a, 24b and 24d including the six housing portions 26. That is, the dimension in the opening direction of the storage row 24 including the relatively small number of accommodation portions 26 is smaller than the dimension in the opening direction of the accommodation row 24 including the relatively large number of accommodation portions 26. The dimension in the forefoot direction of the containing row 24 including the is larger than the dimension in the foremost direction of the containing row 24 including the relatively small number of containing portions 26. The frontal direction of each of the receiving rows 24 including the same number of receiving portions 26 is substantially equal. The housing lines 24j, 24k, 24m, 24n, 24p, 24q, 24r and 24s include the same number of housings 26, and the dimension in the direction of each opening is substantially equal to the housing line 24a.

  Thus, with respect to a plurality of accommodation rows having mutually different dimensions in the frontage direction, one with a relatively small frontage dimension may be referred to as a small accommodation row, and one with a relatively large frontage dimension may be referred to as a large accommodation row. Specifically, the containing rows 24c, 24e, 24f, 24g and 24h are small containing rows with respect to the containing rows 24a, 24b and 24d. Containment lines 24c and 24e are large accommodation lines with respect to accommodation lines 24f, 24g and 24h. That is, the plurality of accommodation rows 24 include small accommodation rows and large accommodation rows that have different dimensions in the frontage direction, and the dimension in the frontage direction of the small accommodation rows is set smaller than the size in the frontage direction of the large accommodation rows It is done. In the example of FIG. 1, the number of the accommodating units 26 included in the small accommodation row is set smaller than the number of the accommodating units 26 included in the large accommodation row.

  In order to increase the number of loads that can be accommodated, the accommodation row 24 desirably has a large size in the frontage direction. On the other hand, the opening direction dimension of the housing row 24 is limited by the overhang portion 34. Specifically, the opening direction dimension of the housing rows 24e, 24f, 24g and 24h is limited by the inclined wall portion 34b, and the opening direction dimension is formed smaller than the housing rows 24a, 24b and 24d. The housing row 24c is limited by the column 34c, and the opening direction dimension is formed smaller than the housing rows 24a, 24b and 24d. By being configured in this manner, the automatic warehouse system 10 can reduce the dead space between the overhanging portion 34 of the building 32 and the storage rack portion 20. These features are the same as for the other stages of storage stages 22 stacked in the height direction.

  The dimension in the opening direction of the containing row 24 may be different or the same for each containing stage 22 of each stage. In the example of FIG. 2, the frontage dimension of the housing row 24 is different for each housing stage 22 of each stage according to the overhanging portion 34 of the building 32 such as the ceiling inclined portion 34d. In FIG. 2, the storage rows stacked in the front storage row 24 a are described as storage rows 24 a 1, 24 a 2, 24 a 3 and 24 a 4 in order from the bottom to the top. Also, the storage rows stacked in the storage row 24 j are described as storage rows 24 j 1, 24 j 2, 24 j 3 and 24 j 4 in order from the bottom to the top. In the present invention, among the plurality of storage rows 24 constituting the storage rack portion 20, a stage constituted by a plurality of storage rows 24 at the same position in the Y-axis direction is referred to as one storage block 28. In other words, the accommodation block 28 is configured by arranging a plurality of accommodation rows 24 in the Z-axis direction. For example, the accommodation block 28 shown in FIG. 2 is constituted by accommodation rows 24a1 to 24a4 and 24j1 to 24j4. In the example of FIG. 1, the storage shelf 20 is comprised of eight receiving blocks 28 arranged in the depth direction.

  Each accommodation row 24 of the accommodation blocks 28 may include one or more accommodation portions 26 arranged in the frontage direction. In the example of FIG. 2, the housing rows 24 a 1, 24 a 2, 24 j 1 and 24 j 2 include six housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 24a3 and 24j3 include four housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 24a4 and 24j4 include two housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. Each storage unit 26 is configured to be able to store the load 12. Each accommodation part 26 in these accommodation rows 24 is connected in the frontage direction, and constitutes accommodation rows 24 extending in the frontage direction. The load 12 of the storage portion 26 can be transported in the storage row 24 in the front direction by the front direction transport mechanism 4.

  The dimensions in the frontal direction of the respective receptacles 26 may be different or may be the same. In the example of FIG. 2, the dimensions in the front opening direction of the respective accommodating portions 26 are set to be the same. Therefore, the dimension in the frontward direction of each accommodation row 24 is substantially proportional to the number of accommodation portions 26 constituting the accommodation row 24. The dimension in the fore-aft direction of receiving row 24a3, 24a4, 24j3 and 24j4 including four or three receiving portions 26 is smaller than the dimension in the fore-aft direction of receiving row 24a1, 24a2, 24j1 and 24j2 including six receiving portions 26. That is, in the example of FIG. 2, the dimension in the direction of the front of the containing row 24 including the relatively small number of containing portions 26 is smaller than the dimension in the direction of the opening of the containing row 24 including relatively many containing portions 26 The dimension in the fore-aft direction of the receiving row 24 including many receptacles 26 is greater than the dimension in the fore-aft direction of the receiving row 24 including relatively lesser receptacles 26. The frontal direction of each of the receiving rows 24 including the same number of receiving portions 26 is substantially equal.

  Thus, with respect to a plurality of accommodation rows having mutually different dimensions in the frontage direction, one with a relatively small frontage dimension may be referred to as a small accommodation row, and one with a relatively large frontage dimension may be referred to as a large accommodation row. Specifically, the containing rows 24a3, 24a4, 24j3 and 24j4 are small containing rows with respect to the containing rows 24a1, 24a2, 24j1 and 24j2. The housing rows 24a3 and 24j3 are large housing rows with respect to the housing rows 24a4 and 24j4. That is, the plurality of containing rows 24 include small containing rows and large containing rows that have different dimensions in the frontage direction.

  The frontal dimension of the receiving row 24 is limited by the overhang 34. Specifically, the frontage dimension of the housing row 24a3, 24a4, 24j3 and 24j4 is limited by the ceiling slope 34d, and the frontal direction dimension is smaller than the housing row 24a1, 24a2, 24j1 and 24j2 . In other words, the dimension in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of housing rows 24 is set corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building 32 that stores the plurality of housing rows 24. That is, the plurality of storage rows 24 are configured by combining the small storage rows and the large storage rows corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building 32. By being configured in this manner, the automatic warehouse system 10 can reduce the dead space between the ceiling slope 34 d of the building 32 and the storage shelf 20. These features are the same for the other accommodation blocks 28 arranged in the depth direction.

  Next, the transport mechanism will be described. The frontage direction transport mechanism 4 is a mechanism that transports the load 12 in the storage rack portion 20 in the frontage direction. As the frontage direction transport mechanism 4, transport mechanisms based on various principles can be adopted. In the example of FIG. 2, the frontage direction conveyance mechanism 4 includes a frontage direction rail 44 and a transport carriage (first carriage, child carriage) 14 that travels the frontage direction trajectory 44. The transport carriage 14 can transport the load 12 in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage rows 24. That is, the transport carriage 14 can travel across the space between the respective storage sections 26 of the storage rows 24 in the frontage direction. In the example of FIG. 2, one end of each of the plurality of housing rows 24 is adjacent to the depth direction rail 46 which is a traveling path, and the transport carriage 14 is an intermediate carriage of the depth direction transport mechanism 6 from the plurality of storage rows 24 It is configured to be able to transit to the 2 carts and the parent cart) 16.

  The depth direction transport mechanism 6 is a mechanism for moving the transport carriage 14 on which the load 12 or the load 12 is placed on the storage rack portion 20 in the depth direction. As the depth direction transport mechanism 6, transport mechanisms based on various principles can be adopted. In the example of FIG. 2, the depth direction transport mechanism 6 includes a depth direction rail 46 which is a traveling path extending in the depth direction, and an intermediate cart 16 which can carry the depth direction rail 46 with the transport cart 14 mounted. It is.

  The frontage direction track 44 is a pair of rails extending in the frontage direction at the storage shelf 20. The depth direction rails 46 are a pair of rails extending in the depth direction in or near the storage shelf 20. When the frontage direction rail 44 and the depth direction rail 46 are summarized, they are referred to as a rail 42. The frontage direction rail 44 is a rail on which the transport carriage 14 travels. The depth direction rail 46 is a rail on which the intermediate carriage 16 travels.

  The transport carriage 14 travels in the opening direction rail 44 in the opening direction which is the X-axis direction, and takes the load 12 into and out of each storage unit 26. The intermediate carriage 16 travels in the depth direction rail 46 in the depth direction, and transports the load in the depth direction in the storage rack 20. The intermediate carriage 16 travels in the depth direction, which is the Y-axis direction, between the storage rows 24 and between the storage rows 24 and the storage and retrieval unit 18. The intermediate carriage 16 transports the transport carriage 14 in an empty state or in a state in which the load 12 is loaded. The conveying carriage 14, the intermediate carriage 16, the front direction rail 44 and the depth direction rail 46 are collectively referred to as an intermediate conveying mechanism 40. That is, the intermediate conveyance mechanism 40 is a mechanism that conveys the load 12 between the respective storage units 26 and between the respective storage units 26 and the loading / unloading unit 18.

  The storage and retrieval unit 18 is a platform for loading and unloading the load 12 in the storage rack unit 20. In the automatic warehouse system 10, as an example, when loading the load 12, the load 12 is carried into the loading / unloading unit 18 by the external transfer device 50. In the example of FIG. 1, the external transfer device 50 is a forklift. The load 12 carried into the loading / unloading unit 18 is transferred by the intermediate transfer mechanism 40 to a predetermined storage unit 26 of the storage rack unit 20 and stored. In the automatic warehouse system 10, as an example, when unloading the load 12, the load 12 to be unloaded is transported in advance from the predetermined storage unit 26 of the storage rack unit 20 to the loading / unloading unit 18 by the intermediate transport mechanism 40. The load 12 transported to the loading / unloading unit 18 is unloaded by the external transport device 50 and is unloaded.

(Railway)
FIG. 1 shows an example of the arrangement of the frontage direction track 44 and the depth direction track 46. The frontage direction rail 44 is provided in the storage row 24 connecting the respective storage portions 26 of the storage shelf 20. The frontage direction rail 44 is provided on the accommodation stage 22 of each stage so as to cause the transport carriage 14 to travel in the frontage direction. The depth direction rails 46 are provided on the accommodation stages 22 of the respective stages so that the intermediate carriage 16 travels in the depth direction. The extension direction of the frontage direction rail 44 is orthogonal to the extension direction of the depth direction rail 46.

(Transport carriage)
The specific configuration of the transport carriage 14 will be described. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an example of the transport carriage 14. FIG. 5 is a side view of the transport carriage 14. FIG. 6 is a front view showing the transport carriage 14. 5 and 6 show a state in which the transport carriage 14 travels the front direction rail 44 in a state in which the load 12 is loaded. The transport carriage 14 is a traveling carriage which travels and transports the front direction rail 44 in the front direction. The transport carriages 14 are respectively disposed on the opening direction rails 44 of the accommodation stages 22 of the respective stages. The transport carriage 14 is configured to travel below the plurality of storage rows 24. The transport carriage 14 transfers to the intermediate carriage 16 with an empty load or load 12 loaded thereon, and is transported in that state. The transport carriage 14 mainly includes a vehicle body 14 b, a placement unit 14 c, a lift mechanism 14 d, and four wheels 14 e.

  The vehicle body 14 b has an outline of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is flat in the vertical direction. Inside the vehicle body 14b, a motor (not shown) for driving the wheel 14e, a battery (not shown) for driving the motor, and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling these are mounted. The placement unit 14 c is a portion that lifts and holds the load 12.

  The lift mechanism 14d is a mechanism that raises and lowers the placement unit 14c, and is also referred to as a height direction transport mechanism. The lift mechanism 14 d can lift the load 12 from the storage unit 26 by raising the placement unit 14 c. In addition, the lift mechanism 14d can lower the loading unit 14c to lower the load 12 into the storage unit 26. In this example, since the accommodation portion 26 is provided on the frontage direction rail 44, in an actual operation, the lift mechanism 14d lowers the load 12 onto the frontage direction rail 44 and lifts the load 12 from the frontage direction rail 44. .

  FIG. 5 shows a state in which the placement unit 14 c lifts the load 12 from the front direction rail 44. The wheels 14e are rotatably supported at four corners of the vehicle body 14b. The transport carriage 14 travels the rail by rotating the four wheels 14 e with the rail. As shown in FIG. 5, the transport carriage 14 can travel along the front direction rail 44 with the load 12 placed thereon. The traveling operation of the transport carriage 14 and the lifting and lowering operation of the lift mechanism 14 d are controlled by the control unit 30. The placement portion 14 c is a substantially plate-like portion that is thin in the vertical direction. There is no particular limitation on the planar shape of the mounting portion 14c. As an example, it has a substantially rectangular shape.

  The transport carriage 14 may be provided with a position sensor (not shown) that detects an obstacle in the traveling direction (frontage direction) or the distance to the end of the rail. The control unit 30 can control so as not to approach the detected obstacle or the end of the track by a predetermined distance or more.

(Intermediate truck)
The specific configuration of the intermediate carriage 16 will be described. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of the intermediate carriage 16. FIG. 8 is a side view of the intermediate carriage 16. The intermediate carriage 16 is a traveling carriage that travels in the depth direction rail 46 in the depth direction and conveys the load 12 in the depth direction. The intermediate carriages 16 are respectively disposed on the depth direction rails 46 of the accommodation stages 22 of the respective stages. The intermediate carriages 16 can be operated independently at the same time by providing the intermediate carriages 16 on the respective accommodation stages 22, and the transportation efficiency can be improved. The intermediate truck 16 mainly includes a vehicle body 16b, a loading portion 16c, and four wheels 16d. The vehicle body 16 b has a flat, substantially rectangular parallelepiped outline that is thin in the vertical direction. Inside the vehicle body 16b, a motor (not shown) for driving the wheel 16d, a battery (not shown) for driving the motor, and a control circuit (not shown) for controlling these are mounted. The loading portion 16 c is a portion for loading the transport carriage 14, has a substantially rectangular shape in top view, and has a concave shape that is retracted downward from the top surface of the vehicle body 16 b in side view.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the size of the loading portion 16c is sufficient for the size of the transport carriage 14 so that the transport carriage 14 can travel in the frontage direction without interfering with the periphery of the loading portion 16c. And the margin of the The four wheels 16 d are rotatably supported at four corners of the vehicle body 16 b. The intermediate carriage 16 travels the rail by rotating the four wheels 16 d on the rail. The intermediate carriage 16 can travel in the depth direction rail 46 with the load 12 and the transport carriage 14 placed thereon. The traveling operation of the intermediate carriage 16 is controlled by the control unit 30.

(Control unit)
Next, the control unit 30 will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment. Each block of the control unit 30 shown in FIG. 9 can be realized by hardware as an element such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) of a computer or by a mechanical device, and software can be realized by a computer program or the like. However, here, the functional block realized by those cooperation is drawn. Therefore, it is understood by those skilled in the art who have been mentioned in the present specification that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The control unit 30 is a control unit that mainly controls the operations of the intermediate carriage 16 and the conveyance carriage 14 in accordance with the detection results of the intermediate carriage position detection unit 54c and the conveyance carriage position detection unit 54d. The control unit 30 mainly includes an operation result acquisition unit 30b, an intermediate carriage position detection unit 30c, a conveyance carriage position detection unit 30d, a display control unit 30g, a conveyance carriage control unit 30h, and an intermediate carriage control unit 30j. Included in

  The operation result acquisition unit 30b acquires the operation result from the operation unit 54b. The intermediate carriage position detection unit 30c acquires the detection result from the intermediate carriage position detection unit 54c. The transport carriage position detection unit 30d acquires the detection result from the transport carriage position detection unit 54d. The display control unit 30g controls the display unit 54m to perform predetermined display. The transport carriage control unit 30 h controls the traveling of the transport carriage 14 and the elevating operation of the placement unit 14 c. The intermediate carriage control unit 30 j controls the traveling of the intermediate carriage 16. The operation unit 54b, the intermediate carriage position detection unit 54c, the transport carriage position detection unit 54d, and the display unit 54m will be described later.

(Work space)
The automatic warehouse system 10 may be provided with a work space 58 for the external transfer device 50 to work. In the example of FIG. 1, the work space 58 is provided adjacent to the storage shelf 20 in the depth direction. The work space 58 has a three-dimensional size that allows the external transfer device 50 to carry in and out the load 12. That is, the work space 58 has a frontage dimension, a depth direction dimension, and a height direction dimension that allows loading and unloading of the load 12. By having the work space 58, the loading and unloading of the load 12 becomes easy, and the working efficiency is improved.

  Next, other configurations of the automated warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 9, the automatic warehouse system 10 further includes an operation unit 54b, a display unit 54m, an intermediate carriage position detection unit 54c, and a transport carriage position detection unit 54d. The operation unit 54 b is an operation unit that receives an operation for controlling the automatic warehouse system 10 and outputs the operation result to the control unit 30. The operation unit 54b accepts an operation such as start or stop of the automatic warehouse system 10, for example. The display unit 54m is a display unit that displays the operation status of the automatic warehouse system 10 under the control of the control unit 30. The display unit 54m may display, for example, the operation status of each carriage, the storage status of the load 12 in the storage unit 26, and the like. The operation unit 54 b and the display unit 54 m may be provided, for example, in front of the control unit 30. The intermediate carriage position detection unit 54 c detects, for example, the position of the intermediate carriage 16 provided on the depth direction rail 46, and transmits the detection result to the control unit 30. The transport carriage position detection unit 54 d detects, for example, the position of the transport carriage 14 provided on the frontage direction rail 44, and transmits the detection result to the control unit 30.

  Next, the operation of the automatic warehouse system 10 configured as described above will be described.

(Delivery operation)
An example of the conveyance operation at the time of leaving of the automatic warehouse system 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. This transfer operation includes an operation of transferring the load 12 to be delivered from the storage unit 26 of the storage rack unit 20 to the loading / unloading unit 18. The load 12 transported to the loading / unloading unit 18 is unloaded by the external transport device 50. FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing an example of the carrying operation at the time of leaving, and shows a process S60 related to this operation. FIG. 11 is an explanatory view in plan view showing an example of the transport operation at the time of leaving of the automatic warehouse system 10. In FIG. 11, members having a low relevance to the description are omitted.

  When the process S60 is started, the control unit 30 controls the transport carriage 14 in the forward travel mode. In the forward traveling mode, the control unit 30 causes the empty transport carriage 14 to travel in the front direction toward the storage unit 26 of the transport source (step S61).

  When the transport carriage 14 arrives at the storage unit 26 of the transport source, the control unit 30 stops the transport carriage 14 and lifts the load 12 (step S62). In this step, the control unit 30 lifts the load 12 from the storage unit 26 by raising the placement unit 14c by the lift mechanism 14d. By this operation, the load 12 is placed on the placement unit 14c, and the load 12 can be transported.

  When the load 12 is placed on the placement unit 14c, the control unit 30 switches the transport carriage 14 to the reverse travel mode and controls it. In the reverse travel mode, the control unit 30 moves the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 toward the entrance / exit 25b (see step S63, FIG. 11A).

  When the transport carriage 14 arrives at the entrance 25b, the control unit 30 changes the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 from the entrance 25b to the loading portion 16c of the intermediate carriage 16 (see step S64 and FIG. 11B). ). At this step, the control unit 30 places the transport carriage 14 on the intermediate carriage 16.

  The control unit 30 moves the intermediate carriage 16 on which the transport carriage 14 is placed on the loading unit 16c to the loading and unloading unit 18 (see step S65 and FIG. 11C). In this step, the intermediate carriage 16 travels in the depth direction along the depth direction rail 46 toward the loading / unloading unit 18.

  When the intermediate carriage 16 arrives at the loading / unloading unit 18, the control unit 30 stops the intermediate carriage 16 and carries out the load 12. (See step S66, FIG. 11 (d)). In this step, the load 12 is unloaded by the external transfer device 50 and loaded into a truck or the like.

  When the load 12 is carried out by the external transfer device 50, the control unit 30 moves the intermediate carriage 16 on which the transfer carriage 14 is placed to the predetermined storage row 24 (step S67).

  When the intermediate carriage 16 arrives at the predetermined storage row 24, the transport carriage 14 is changed from the entrance / exit part 25b to the storage row 24 (step S68). When the transport carriage 14 travels to a predetermined position of the housing row 24 and stops, the process S60 ends. The above-described process S60 is merely an example, and other steps may be added, some steps may be changed or deleted, or the order of the steps may be changed.

(Incoming operation)
Next, with reference to FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, an example of the transport operation at the time of storage of the automatic warehouse system 10 will be described. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the transport operation at the time of storage, and shows processing S80 related to this operation. FIG. 13 is an explanatory view in plan view showing an example of the transport operation at the time of storage of the automatic warehouse system 10. In FIG. 13, members having a low relevance to the description are omitted. The transfer operation at the time of storage includes an operation of carrying in the load 12 from the loading / unloading unit 18 and transferring the load 12 to the storage unit 26 of the storage rack unit 20.

  When the process S80 is started, the control unit 30 moves the intermediate carriage 16 carrying the empty conveyance carriage 14 to the loading / unloading unit 18 and stops it (step S81). The operation of this step is substantially the same as the delivery operation, and redundant description will be omitted.

  When the intermediate carriage 16 carrying the conveyance carriage 14 stops at the loading / unloading unit 18, the load 12 to be stored by the external conveyance device 50 is placed on the conveyance carriage 14 (see step S82 in FIG. 13A).

  After loading the load 12 on the transport carriage 14, the control unit 30 moves the intermediate carriage 16 carrying the load 12 and the transport carriage 14 in front of the storage row 24 of the transport destination (step S83, FIG. 13B). reference). In this step, the intermediate carriage 16 travels in the depth direction along the depth direction rail 46.

  When the intermediate carriage 16 arrives at the storage row 24, the control unit 30 changes the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 from the entrance / exit portion 25b to the storage row 24 of the transport destination (see step S84 and FIG. 13C). ).

  When the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 changes over to the storage row 24, the control unit 30 causes the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 to travel toward the transport destination storage portion 26 (step S85, FIG. 13 (d See)). In this step, the transport carriage 14 travels in the front direction rail 44 in the front direction. At this step, the intermediate carriage 16 may be controlled to travel towards another receiving row 24 for the next operation.

  When the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 arrives at the storage unit 26, the control unit 30 lowers the placement unit 14c of the transport carriage 14 to lower the load 12 into the storage unit 26 (step S86). The transport carriage 14 that has unloaded the load 12 may be controlled to stand by at that position, for example. This process S80 is completed by unloading the load 12 into the storage unit 26. The above-described process S80 is merely an example, and other steps may be added, some steps may be changed or deleted, or the order of the steps may be changed.

  Next, the operation and effects of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described.

  The automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment is an automatic warehouse system including a storage unit capable of storing a load 12, and includes a storage stage 22 including a plurality of storage rows 24 arranged in the depth direction along a plane. And each of the plurality of storage rows 24 includes a transport carriage 14 capable of transporting the load 12 in the frontage direction, and each of the plurality of storage rows 24 includes a plurality of storage portions 26 continuous in one or the frontage direction, The plurality of accommodation rows 24 include small accommodation rows and large accommodation rows that have different dimensions in the frontage direction, and the dimension in the frontage direction of the small accommodation rows is set smaller than the dimension in the frontage direction of the large accommodation rows. According to this configuration, since the plurality of housing rows 24 include the small housing rows and the large housing rows having different dimensions in the frontage direction, the small housing rows and the large housings correspond to the inner surface shape of the building surrounding the housing stage 22. Rows can be combined and arranged. For example, small accommodation rows can be arranged in the area where the inner surface projects, and large accommodation rows can be arranged in the area where the inner surface is separated. As a result, it is possible to reduce the dead space and enhance the accommodation efficiency as compared with the case where the dimensions in the frontward direction of the plurality of accommodation rows are constant. The automated warehouse system 10 can be equipped with a refrigeration or refrigeration mechanism to cool the interior space 32b. When equipped with a refrigeration or cold storage mechanism, the automated warehouse system 10 can improve warehouse cooling efficiency by reducing dead space.

  In the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the number of storage units 26 included in the small storage row is set smaller than the number of storage units 26 included in the large storage row. According to this configuration, it is possible to accommodate more loads 12 than the small accommodation row in the large accommodation row having a large dimension in the frontage direction. The storage efficiency of the load 12 can be enhanced as compared with the case where the number of storage portions is the same between the small storage row and the large storage row.

  The automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment further includes a depth direction transport mechanism 6 for moving the transport carriage 14 in the depth direction, and the transport carriage 14 can transit from the plurality of storage rows 24 to the depth direction transport mechanism 6 It is configured. According to this configuration, by transferring the transport carriage 14 to the depth direction transport mechanism 6, the load 12 can be moved in the frontage direction and the depth direction. The time for transferring the load 12 can be reduced to improve the operation efficiency as compared with the case where the transfer carriage does not transit.

  In the automatic storage system 10 according to the first embodiment, the depth direction transport mechanism 6 includes a plurality of traveling paths extending in the depth direction and an intermediate carriage 16 capable of traveling on the traveling path by mounting the transport carriages 14. One end of each of the storage rows 24 is adjacent to the traveling path, and the transport carriage 14 is configured to be able to transit from the plurality of storage rows 24 to the intermediate carriage 16. According to this configuration, since the transport carriage 14 can transit from the storage row 24 to the intermediate carriage 16, the time for transferring the load 12 can be reduced to improve the operation efficiency.

  In the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the transport carriage 14 is configured to travel below the plurality of storage rows 24. According to this configuration, since the transport carriage 14 can hold the load 12 by lifting the load 12 in each storage row, it is possible to reduce the time for catching the load 12 and to improve the operation efficiency.

  In the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the dimensions in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of housing rows 24 are set corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building 32 storing the plurality of housing rows 24. According to this configuration, the small storage row and the large storage row are arranged in combination corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building 32, thereby reducing the dead space compared to the case where the storage row does not correspond to the inner surface shape. Can be enhanced.

  The automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment is an automatic warehouse system including a storage unit 26 capable of storing the load 12, and a plurality of automatic warehouse systems are arranged in the height direction along the elevation parallel to the frontage direction. A storage block 28 including a storage row 24 and a transport carriage 14 capable of transporting the load 12 in the front direction in each of the plurality of storage rows 24 are provided, and each of the plurality of storage rows 24 is continuous in one or the front direction The plurality of receiving portions 26 includes a plurality of receiving rows 24 including a small receiving row and a large receiving row having different dimensions in the frontage direction, and the size of the small receiving row facing direction is the frontal direction of the large receiving row. It is set smaller than the dimensions. According to this configuration, since the plurality of housing rows 24 include the small housing rows and the large housing rows having different dimensions in the frontage direction, the small housing rows and the large housing rows correspond to the inner surface shape of the building 32 that wraps the housing block 28. It can be arranged in combination with the containing line. For example, small accommodation rows can be arranged in the area where the inner surface projects, and large accommodation rows can be arranged in the area where the inner surface is separated. As a result, it is possible to reduce the dead space and enhance the accommodation efficiency as compared with the case where the dimensions in the frontward direction of the plurality of accommodation rows are constant.

Second Embodiment
The configuration of an automatic warehouse system 210 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a plan view of the automatic warehouse system 210 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 corresponds to FIG. The automatic warehouse system 210 according to the second embodiment mainly includes a building 232, a storage shelf 220, a frontage direction transport mechanism 4, a depth direction transport mechanism 6, an in / out unit 18, and a control unit 30. . The automatic warehouse system 210 is the same as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment except for the shape in plan view of the building 232 and the arrangement in plan view of the storage rack 220, and other configurations are the same. Therefore, the description will be focused on the different configuration without overlapping description. The components of the storage shelf 220 and the storage shelf 220 have similar features corresponding to the components of the storage shelf 20 and the storage shelf 20 of the first embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted.

The building 232 mainly includes an internal space 232 b for storing the storage shelf 220.
In a plan view, the building 232 has a shape bent in a substantially L-letter shape, and the protruding corner portion 34e protrudes in the internal space 232b. The protruding corner portion 34e is a corner portion on the convex side where the two wall surfaces meet at an angle of about 90 °, and cuts into the internal space 232b. The lowermost housing stage 222 includes a plurality of housing rows 224 arranged in a substantially L-letter shape corresponding to the projecting corner 34 e. The plurality of storage rows 224 are disposed on both sides in the frontage direction across the depth direction transport mechanism 6. The lowermost storage stage 222 includes eight housing rows 224a to 224h and eight housing rows 224j to 224s arranged in order from the near side (lower side in FIG. 13) to the far side (upper side in FIG. 13). Contains.

  The housing rows 224a to 224d include two housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 224e to 224h include nine housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 224j to 224s include three housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 224a to 224h and the housing rows 224j to 224s have frontal dimensions that are substantially in proportion to the number of the housings 26 that each contains, and relatively large housing rows and small housings The lines are organized. By being configured in this manner, the automated warehouse system 210 can reduce the dead space between the raised corner 34 e of the building 232 and the storage shelf 220. These features are the same for the other three receiving stages 222 stacked in the height direction.

  The automatic warehouse system 210 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, so that the same operation and effect as the automatic warehouse system 10 are achieved. In addition, since the automatic warehouse system 210 has a high degree of freedom in selecting the opening direction of the storage row, the dead space is reduced to improve the storage efficiency even when the internal space 232b is bent in a substantially L shape. be able to.

Third Embodiment
The configuration of an automatic warehouse system 310 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a plan view of the automated warehouse system 310 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 15 corresponds to FIG. The automatic warehouse system 310 according to the third embodiment mainly includes a building 332, a storage rack 320, a frontage direction transport mechanism 4, a depth direction transport mechanism 6, an in / out unit 18, and a control unit 30. . The automatic warehouse system 310 is the same as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment except for the shape in plan view of the building 332 and the arrangement in plan view of the storage rack part 320, and other configurations are the same. Therefore, the description will be focused on the different configuration without overlapping description. The components of the storage shelf 320 and the storage shelf 320 have the same features as those of the storage shelf 20 and the components of the storage shelf 20 of the first embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The building 332 mainly includes an internal space 332 b for storing the storage shelf 320. In plan view, the building 332 and the internal space 332 b are substantially rectangular. The lowermost receiving stage 322 includes a plurality of receiving lines 324 arranged in a substantially T-shape. The plurality of storage rows 324 are disposed on both sides in the frontage direction across the depth direction transport mechanism 6. The lowermost housing stage 322 includes four housing rows 324a to 324d and eight housing rows 324j to 324s arranged in order from the near side (lower side in FIG. 14) to the far side (upper side in FIG. 14). Contains.

  The housing lines 324a to 324d are positioned near the center in the depth direction, and a pair of work spaces 58 are provided on both sides in the depth direction of the housing lines 324a to 324d. Each work space 58 is provided with a storage unit 18. The housing rows 324a to 324d include nine housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 324j to 324s include three housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 324a to 324d and the housing rows 324j to 324s have opening dimensions that are substantially in proportion to the number of the housings 26 that each contains, and relatively large housing rows and small housings The lines are organized. These features are the same for the other three receiving stages 322 stacked in the height direction.

  The automatic warehouse system 310 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, so that the same operation and effect as the automatic warehouse system 10 are achieved. In addition, the automatic warehouse system 310 can increase the storage efficiency even when the depth dimension of the building is small by providing the work spaces 58 on both sides in the depth direction of the storage rows 324a to 324d. Further, by providing a plurality of storage and retrieval units 18, it is possible to speed up the storage and retrieval operations.

Fourth Embodiment
The configuration of an automatic warehouse system 410 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 is a front view of the automatic warehouse system 410 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 16 corresponds to FIG. The automatic warehouse system 410 according to the fourth embodiment mainly includes a building 432, a storage rack 420, a frontage direction transport mechanism 4, a depth direction transport mechanism 6, an in / out unit 18, and a control unit 30. . The automatic warehouse system 410 is the same as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the building 432 in a front view and the arrangement of the storage rack 420 in a front view. Therefore, the description will be focused on the different configuration without overlapping description. The components of the storage rack 420 and the storage rack 420 have the same features as those of the storage rack 20 and the components of the storage rack 20 of the first embodiment, and duplicate descriptions will be omitted.

  The building 432 mainly includes an internal space 432 b for storing the storage shelf 420. A dome-shaped ceiling curved portion 434f protrudes in the internal space 432b. The storage shelf 420 includes four storage stages 22 corresponding to the ceiling curved portion 434f. The foremost storage block in the depth direction includes storage rows 424a1 to 424a4 and storage rows 424j1 to 424j4 in order from the bottom to the top. When the containing rows 424a1 to 424a4 and the containing rows 424j1 to 424j4 are collectively referred to as a containing block 428. That is, the storage shelf 420 is composed of eight storage blocks 428 arranged in the depth direction.

  The housing rows 424a1, 424a2, 424j1 and 424j2 include six housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 424a3 and 424j3 include five housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 424a4 and 424j4 include four housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 424a1 to 424a4 and the housing rows 424j1 to 424j4 each have an opening dimension that is substantially proportional to the number of the housing portions 26 that each contains, and relatively large housing rows and small housings The lines are organized. By being configured in this manner, the automated warehouse system 410 can reduce the dead space between the ceiling curved portion 434f of the building 432 and the storage shelf 420. These features are the same for the other seven receiving blocks 428 arranged in the depth direction.

  The automatic warehouse system 410 according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, so that the same operation and effect as the automatic warehouse system 10 are achieved. In addition, since the automatic warehouse system 410 has a high degree of freedom in selecting the opening direction of the storage row, the storage row can be provided in the upper space restricted by the ceiling curved portion 434f to enhance the storage efficiency.

Fifth Embodiment
The configuration of an automatic warehouse system 510 according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 17 is a front view of the automatic warehouse system 510 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 17 corresponds to FIG. The automatic warehouse system 510 according to the fifth embodiment mainly includes a building 532, a storage rack 520, a frontage direction transport mechanism 4, a depth direction transport mechanism 6, a storage and retrieval unit 18, and a control unit 30. . The automatic warehouse system 510 is the same as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment except for the shape of the building 532 in a front view and the arrangement of the storage rack 520 in a front view. Therefore, the description will be focused on the different configuration without overlapping description. The components of the storage shelf 520 and the storage shelf 520 have similar features corresponding to the components of the storage shelf 20 and the storage shelf 20 of the first embodiment, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The building 532 mainly includes an internal space 532 b for storing the storage shelf 520. In the internal space 532b, a ceiling inclined portion 534d which is inclined at a predetermined angle in the frontage direction is projected. The storage shelf 520 includes six storage stages 22 corresponding to the ceiling slope 534 d. The foremost storage block in the depth direction includes storage rows 524a1 to 524a6 in order from the bottom to the top. When the containing rows 524a1 to 524a6 are summarized, the containing block 528 is referred to. That is, the storage shelf 520 is composed of eight accommodation blocks 528 arranged in the depth direction.

  The housing rows 524a1 and 524a2 include twelve housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing row 524a3 includes ten housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing row 524a4 includes seven housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing row 524a5 includes four housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing row 524a6 includes one housing portion 26. The housing rows 524a1 to 524a6 have an opening-direction dimension substantially in proportion to the number of the housing portions 26 contained therein, and constitute relatively large housing rows and small housing rows. . By being configured in this manner, the automated warehouse system 510 can reduce the dead space between the ceiling slope 534 d of the building 532 and the storage shelf 420. These features are the same for the other seven receiving blocks 528 arranged in the depth direction.

  The automatic warehouse system 510 according to the fifth embodiment has the same configuration as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, so that the same operation and effect as the automatic warehouse system 10 are achieved. In addition, since the automatic warehouse system 510 has a high degree of freedom in selecting the opening direction of the storage row, the storage row can be provided in the upper space restricted by the ceiling slope portion 534 d to enhance storage efficiency.

Sixth Embodiment
The configuration of an automatic warehouse system 710 according to the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19. FIG. 18 is a plan view of an automatic warehouse system 710 according to the sixth embodiment. FIG. 18 corresponds to FIG. The automatic warehouse system 710 includes four stages of storage stages consisting of a first stage (bottom stage), a second stage, a third stage and a fourth stage in order from the bottom. The first and second accommodation stages have the same configuration, and are denoted as accommodation stage 722 (A). The third and fourth housing stages have the same configuration, and are denoted as housing stage 722 (B). FIG. 18A is a plan view showing the first and second storage stages 722 (A), and FIG. 18B shows the third and fourth storage stages 722 (B). It is a plan view,

  The automatic warehouse system 710 according to the sixth embodiment mainly includes a building 732, a storage rack part 720, a frontage direction conveyance mechanism 4, a depth direction conveyance mechanism 6, an in / out part 18 and a control part 30. . The automatic warehouse system 710 differs from the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment in the shape in plan view of the building 732 and the arrangement in plan view of the storage rack part 720, and other configurations are the same. Therefore, the description will be focused on the different configuration without overlapping description. The components of the storage rack 720 and the storage rack 720 have the same features as those of the storage rack 20 of the first embodiment and the components of the storage rack 20, and redundant description will be omitted.

  The building 732 mainly includes an internal space 732 b for storing the storage shelf 720. In a plan view, the building 732 and the internal space 732 b are substantially rectangular. The first and second storage stages 722 (A) include a plurality of storage rows 724 arranged substantially in a T-shape. The plurality of storage rows 724 are disposed on both sides in the frontage direction across the depth direction transport mechanism 6. The first and second stages of housing stages 722 (A) are four columns of housing rows 724c to 724f arranged in order from the near side (lower side in FIG. 18) to the far side (upper side in FIG. 18) and It contains eight columns of accommodation rows 724j-724s.

  The housing rows 724c to 724f are located near the center in the depth direction, and a pair of work spaces 58 are provided on both sides in the depth direction of the housing rows 724c to 724f. Each work space 58 is provided with a storage unit 18. The housing rows 724c to 724f include nine housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 724j to 724s include three housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction. The housing rows 724c to 724f and the housing rows 724j to 724s have opening dimensions that are substantially in proportion to the number of the housings 26 that each contains, and relatively large housing rows and small housings The lines are organized.

  The third and fourth accommodation stages 722 (B) are arranged in the space corresponding to the pair of work spaces 58 with respect to the first and second accommodation stages 722 (A). The other configuration is the same except that the housing rows 724g and 724h are provided. FIG. 19 is a front view showing the periphery of the work space 58 of the automatic warehouse system 710. As shown in FIG. In particular, this figure shows the arrangement of the storage block 728 on the front side (lower side in FIG. 18) of the storage shelf 720 in a front view. As shown in FIG. 19, in the automatic warehouse system 710 according to the sixth embodiment, a storage row 724 is configured at a position higher in the height direction than the work space 58. In particular, in the automatic warehouse system 710, a storage row 724 is also provided in an area above N (N ≧ 2) stages above the work space 58. The work space 58 is not limited to the ground floor, and may be provided above the ground floor or below the ground floor (base floor).

  The automated warehouse system 710 includes a height direction transport mechanism 8 for moving the transport carriage 14 in the height direction. The height direction transport mechanism 8 can transport the transport carriage 14 on which the load 12 is placed in the height direction. The height direction transport mechanism 8 may be any of various known transport mechanisms. In the present example, the height direction transport mechanism 8 includes a lift mechanism.

  The automatic warehouse system 710 according to the sixth embodiment has the same configuration as the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, so that the same operation and effect as the automatic warehouse system 10 are achieved. In addition, the automatic warehouse system 710 can increase the storage capacity of the warehouse because the storage row 724 is configured at a height higher than the work space 58. Further, providing the storage line at a position higher than the work space is difficult to configure only with the stacker crane, but can be easily configured using the transport carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16.

  The above has been described based on several embodiments of the present invention. Each of these embodiments is an exemplification, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims of the present invention, and such variations and modifications are also within the scope of the claims of the present invention to those skilled in the art. It is understood. Accordingly, the descriptions and drawings herein are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive.

  Hereinafter, modified examples will be described. In the drawings and the description of the modification, the same or equivalent components and members as those of the embodiments are given the same reference numerals. The description overlapping with each embodiment will be appropriately omitted, and the configuration different from each embodiment will be mainly described.

(First modification)
Although the intermediate | middle trolley | bogie 16 demonstrated the example which is not equipped with a raising / lowering mechanism in description of the automatic warehouse system 10 of 1st Embodiment, it is not restricted to this. For example, the intermediate carriage may be a stacker crane having a lifting mechanism. In this case, the load 12 can be transported in the depth direction and can be moved up and down in the vertical direction. By providing a stacker crane, the load 12 can be moved from any receiving stage 22 to another receiving stage 22. Further, an elevating mechanism for moving the load 12 in the height direction may be separately provided.

(2nd modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, an example of loading and unloading the load 12 on the intermediate carriage 16 by changing the transport carriage 14 carrying the load 12 on the intermediate carriage 16 has been described. . The intermediate carriage may be provided with a known transfer mechanism such as a movable arm, and the transfer mechanism may load and unload the transport carriage 14.

(Third modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the example in which the transport carriage 14 is transported in the depth direction by the intermediate carriage 16 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the transport carriage may be configured to be capable of self-propelled in the frontage direction and the depth direction. In this case, the transport carriage may be configured to be able to change over from the frontage direction rail 44 to the depth direction rail 46. The transport carriage may be configured to be able to switch the traveling direction of the wheels. The transport carriage may include a wheel for traveling in the frontage direction and a wheel for traveling in the depth direction.

(4th modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the load 12 is taken in and out of the storage and retrieval unit 18 by the external transfer device 50 (forklift), but is not limited thereto. For example, the load 12 may be moved in and out of the storage unit 18 by another type of transfer device such as a crane device.

(5th modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the example in which the load 12 includes the pallet 12p has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is not essential that the load include pallets, and the automated warehouse system may handle loads that do not include pallets.

(Sixth modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the transport carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16 have been described as to an example in which the transport carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16 do not move in the vertical direction. For example, by providing a height direction transport mechanism including an elevating device for moving up and down at least one of the transport carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16 in the vertical direction, the transport carriage 14 or the intermediate carriage 16 is moved between the storage stages 22 of each stage It may be possible.

(Seventh modified example)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, an example in which the transport carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16 are driven by the power of the mounted battery has been described, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the feeding carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16 may be fed with power from a feeding mechanism such as a feeding line provided on the rail. In this case, since the transport carriage 14 and the intermediate carriage 16 are driven by the supplied power, they may or may not be equipped with a battery.

Eighth Modified Example
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, an example in which the transport carriages 14 are provided in each accommodation row 24 has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It is not essential that the transport carriages 14 be provided in each accommodation row 24.

(Ninth modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, the transport carriage 14 includes the travel mechanism such as the wheels 14 e to explain an example configured to be capable of self-propelled, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the rack side may be provided with a conveyance mechanism such as a belt or a chain, and the conveyance carriage may be conveyed in the frontage direction or the depth direction by the conveyance mechanism. In this case, the transport carriage may or may not have a traveling mechanism.

(Tenth modification)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, an example in which one transport carriage 14 is provided in each accommodation row 24 has been described, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, the transport carriage may be provided corresponding to each of the loads to be accommodated. In this case, the transport carriage may be configured to be capable of self-propelled in the frontage direction and the depth direction. By configuring in this way, it is possible to improve the operation efficiency of the warehouse.

(Eleventh modified example)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, an example in which the plurality of storage rows 24 are arranged in the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The plurality of housing rows 24 may be arranged in at least one of the Y-axis direction and the Z-axis direction.

(12th embodiment)
In the description of the automatic warehouse system 10 according to the first embodiment, an example in which one accommodation row 24 is configured by continuously arranging the plurality of accommodation units 26 in the X direction has been described, but the invention is not limited thereto. One receiving row 24 may be configured by a series of members extending in the X direction.

  Each of these modifications has the same operation and effect as the automatic warehouse system 10 of the first embodiment.

  The outline of one aspect of the present invention is as follows. An automatic warehouse system 10 according to an aspect of the present invention is an automatic warehouse system capable of storing loads 12, comprising a plurality of receiving rows 24 for storing loads 12, the plurality of receiving rows 24 extending in the frontage direction. And a first carriage (14) capable of transporting the load 12 in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage lines 24 and the accommodation stage 22 arranged in the depth direction in which the plurality of accommodation lines 24 intersect the frontage direction; The plurality of housing rows 24 include a large housing row, and a small housing row having a dimension in the frontage direction smaller than that of the large housing row. According to this aspect, since the small housing row and the large housing row having different sizes in the frontage direction are included, the small housing row and the large housing row are disposed in combination corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building surrounding the housing stage 22. Can.

  Each of the plurality of housing rows 24 is composed of one or a plurality of housing portions 26 continuous in the frontage direction, and the number of the housing portions 26 included in the small housing row is smaller than the number of the housing portions 26 included in the large housing row. You may In this case, the small accommodation rows can be arranged in the space where the frontage direction is narrow, and the large accommodation rows can be arranged in the space where the frontage direction is wide.

  The first carriage (14) may be configured to be able to transit from the plurality of storage rows 24 to the depth direction transport mechanism 6 so as to further include the depth direction transport mechanism 6 for moving the first carriage (14) in the depth direction. In this case, since the first carriage can transit to the depth direction transport mechanism 6, the load 12 can be moved in the depth direction.

  The depth direction transport mechanism 6 includes a traveling path extending in the depth direction and a second carriage (16) which can carry the traveling path by mounting the first carriage (14), and each of the plurality of housing rows 24 One end in the frontage direction is adjacent to the traveling path, and the first carriage (14) may be configured to be able to transit from the plurality of storage rows 24 to the second carriage (16). In this case, since the depth direction transport mechanism 6 includes the second carriage on which the first carriage can be mounted, the time for transferring the load 12 can be shortened.

  The first carriage (14) may be configured to travel below each of the plurality of storage rows 24. In this case, since the first carriage lifts and holds the load 12 from the lower side, the time for loading the load 12 can be shortened.

  The dimension in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of housing rows 24 may be set corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building surrounding the plurality of housing rows 24. In this case, since the dimensions of the respective housing rows 24 are set corresponding to the inner surface shape, dead space can be reduced.

  The storage stage 22 and another storage stage located at different positions in the height direction intersecting the frontage direction and the depth direction are further provided, and the storage stage 22 and the other storage stages have different numbers of small storage rows. Good. In this case, the number of small accommodation rows can be made to correspond to the inner surface shape of the building for each accommodation stage having different positions in the height direction.

  The automatic warehouse system 10 is an automatic warehouse system including a storage unit 26 capable of storing the load 12 and is a storage row 24 for storing the load 12 and has a plurality of storage rows 24 extending in the frontage direction. A plurality of storage rows arranged in a height direction crossing the frontage direction, and a first carriage capable of transporting the load 12 in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage fronts; , And the plurality of housing rows 24 include a large housing row and a small housing row having a dimension in the frontage direction smaller than the large housing row. In this case, since the small housing row and the large housing row having different dimensions in the frontage direction are included, the small housing row and the large housing row can be arranged in combination corresponding to the inner surface shape of the building surrounding the housing block 28. .

  When the accommodation block 28 is provided, each of the plurality of accommodation rows 24 includes one or a plurality of accommodation units 26 continuous in the frontage direction, and the number of accommodation units 26 included in the small accommodation unit 26 corresponds to the large accommodation unit 26. The number may be smaller than the number of containing portions 26 included. In this case, since the number of the accommodating portions 26 included in the small accommodating portion 26 is smaller than the number of the large accommodating portions 26, the dimension in the opening direction of the small accommodating portion 26 can be reduced accordingly.

  When the accommodation block 28 is provided, another accommodation block 28 located at a position different from the accommodation block 28 in the depth direction intersecting the frontage direction and the height direction, and the depth direction conveyance for moving the first carriage (14) in the depth direction The first carriage (14) may be configured to be able to transit from the accommodation row 24 of the accommodation block 28 to the depth direction transport mechanism 6 from the accommodation row 24 of another accommodation block 28. In this case, since the first carriage can transit from each accommodation block 28 to the depth direction transport mechanism 6, the depth direction transport mechanism 6 can transport the first carriage on which the load 12 is placed in the depth direction.

  When the accommodation block 28 is provided, the depth direction transport mechanism 6 includes a traveling path extending in the depth direction and a second carriage (16) which can carry the traveling path by mounting the first carriage (14), One end in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of storage rows 24 is adjacent to the traveling path, and the first carriage (14) is a second carriage from the storage row 24 of the storage block 28 other than the storage row 24 of the storage block 28 16) It may be configured to be able to transit. In this case, since the first carriage can transit from each accommodation block 28 to the depth direction transport mechanism 6, the second carriage can transport the first carriage on which the load 12 is placed in the depth direction.

  When the accommodation block 28 is provided, the first carriage (14) may be configured to travel below the plurality of accommodation rows 24 respectively. In this case, since the first carriage lifts and holds the load 12 from the lower side, the time for loading the load 12 can be shortened.

  When the receiving block 28 is provided, the dimension in the frontward direction of each of the plurality of receiving rows 24 may be set corresponding to the shape of the inner surface of the building surrounding the plurality of receiving rows 24. In this case, since the dimensions of the respective housing rows 24 are set corresponding to the inner surface shape, dead space can be reduced.

  When the receiving block 28 is provided, it may further include a height direction transport mechanism for moving the first carriage (14) in the height direction. In this case, the height direction transport mechanism can transport the first carriage on which the load 12 is placed in the height direction.

  When the receiving block 28 is provided, a work space 58 used when transporting the load 12 at one end in the front direction of each of the plurality of receiving rows 24 is further provided, and at a position higher in the height direction than the work space 58 Rows may be configured. In this case, since the storage row is configured at a position higher than the work space 58, the storage capacity of the warehouse can be increased.

  When the accommodation block 28 is provided, the large accommodation row of the plurality of accommodation rows 24 has the same dimension in the frontage direction, and the small accommodation row of the plurality of accommodation rows 24 has a partial size in the frontage direction It may be different. In this case, in order to improve the loading capacity, the dimension in the opening direction of the large accommodation row can be set to the maximum, and the dimension in the opening direction of the small accommodation row can be changed according to the shape of the overhang. it can.

  4 · · Directional transport mechanism in the frontage, 6 · · Direction transport mechanism in the depth direction, 10 · · Automatic warehouse system, 12 · · · · · · 14 Transport truck, 16 · · Intermediate truck, 18 · · · Storage and retrieval unit, 20 · · · Storage shelf part 22 ··· Storage stage 24 · · Storage row 26 · · Storage section 28 · · Storage block 30 · · Control section 32 · · Building 32b · · Internal space 34 · · overhang Part 34b: Inclined wall part 34c: Column part 34d: Ceiling inclined part 34e: Exposed corner part 44: Frontage direction rail 46: Depth direction rail 50: External conveyance device 58 .. Working space.

Claims (16)

An automated warehouse system capable of storing loads,
A storage stage for storing loads, the storage stage having a plurality of storage rows extending in the frontage direction, wherein the plurality of storage rows are arranged in the depth direction intersecting the frontage direction;
A first carriage capable of transporting a load in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage rows;
Equipped with
The automatic warehouse system, wherein the plurality of storage rows include a large storage row, and a small storage row having a dimension in the frontage direction smaller than that of the large storage row. Each of the plurality of storage rows is composed of one or a plurality of storage portions continuous in the frontage direction,
The automatic warehouse system according to claim 1, characterized in that the number of storage units included in the small storage row is smaller than the number of storage units included in the large storage row. The vehicle further comprises a depth direction transport mechanism for moving the first carriage in the depth direction,
The automatic warehouse system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first carriage is configured to be able to transit from the plurality of storage rows to the depth direction transport mechanism. The depth direction transport mechanism
A traveling path extending in the depth direction,
A second carriage that can carry the traveling path by mounting the first carriage;
Including
One end in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of storage rows is adjacent to the traveling path,
The automatic warehouse system according to claim 3, wherein the first carriage is configured to be able to transit from the plurality of storage rows to the second carriage.   The automatic warehouse system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first carriage is configured to travel below the plurality of storage rows.   The dimension of the said frontage direction of each of the plurality of containing rows is set corresponding to the inner surface shape of a building surrounding the plurality of containing rows, according to any one of claims 1 to 5, Automatic warehouse system. The storage stage further includes another storage stage positioned at different positions in a height direction intersecting the frontage direction and the depth direction,
The automatic storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the number of the small accommodation rows is different between the accommodation stage and the another accommodation stage. An automated warehouse system comprising a container capable of storing loads, wherein
A storage block for storing a load, the storage block having a plurality of storage rows extending in the frontage direction, wherein the plurality of storage rows are arranged in a height direction intersecting the frontage direction;
A first carriage capable of transporting a load in the frontage direction in each of the plurality of storage rows;
Equipped with
The automatic warehouse system, wherein the plurality of storage rows include a large storage row, and a small storage row having a dimension in the frontage direction smaller than that of the large storage row. Each of the plurality of storage rows is composed of one or a plurality of storage portions continuous in the frontage direction,
The automatic warehouse system according to claim 8, characterized in that the number of storage units included in the small storage row is smaller than the number of storage units included in the large storage row. Another accommodation block located at a position different from the accommodation block and the depth direction intersecting the frontage direction and the height direction;
Further comprising: a depth direction transport mechanism for moving the first carriage in the depth direction;
The automatic warehouse system according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the first carriage is configured to be able to transit from the storage row of the storage block and the storage row of the other storage block to the depth direction transport mechanism. . The depth direction transport mechanism
A traveling path extending in the depth direction,
A second carriage that can carry the traveling path by mounting the first carriage;
Including
One end in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of storage rows is adjacent to the traveling path,
The automated warehouse system according to claim 10, wherein the first carriage is configured to be able to transit from the storage row of the storage block and the storage row of the other storage block to the second carriage.   The automatic warehouse system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the first carriage is configured to travel below the plurality of storage rows.   The dimension in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of storage rows is set corresponding to the shape of the inner surface of a building surrounding the plurality of storage rows. Automatic warehouse system.   The automatic warehouse system according to any one of claims 8 to 13, further comprising a height direction transport mechanism for moving the first carriage in the height direction. It further comprises a work space used when transporting a load to one end in the frontage direction of each of the plurality of storage rows,
The automatic storage system according to any one of claims 8 to 14, wherein the storage row is configured at a position higher in the height direction than the work space. Among the plurality of housing rows, the large housing rows have the same dimension in the frontage direction, and
The automatic storage system according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the small accommodation rows among the plurality of accommodation rows are partially different in dimension in the frontage direction.

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